March 25, 2013 - 7:36pm
Bleeding Blue: Consequences of a smoke-free campus
BY JOE PAONE
The anti-smoking lobby has made great strides in informing the public about the dangers of smoking, resulting in a sharp decline of tobacco use around the country. More recently, this lobby has taken to fighting secondhand smoke, which they assert poses a threat to non-smokers. This new campaign has led state and local legislatures to pass laws against smoking in public places like restaurants, bars, clubs and concert halls. As a smoker, these laws are an inconvenience, but I understand the need to protect workers at these establishments from daily inhalation of secondhand smoke. What I don't understand is the concept of a smoke-free campus, which the University has adopted in solidarity with other colleges across the state.
Last week I had a conversation with a litter collector who brought up the fact that although Iran declared it had no homosexuals, it did not eliminate homosexuality in Iran. The same is true of a smoke-free campus — there are still smokers at the University. The difference is that there are no ashtrays near campus buildings, and smokers are tempted to litter their butts for this man to clean up. What purpose does this serve? Secondhand smoke is not a health hazard outdoors, and moving smokers 15 feet away from buildings doesn't truly change anything. It seems natural to associate smoke-free with cleaner, but the cigarette butts that litter the streets and sidewalks are the opposite of clean.
Addicted smokers will not suddenly decide to quit because of a smoke-free campus sign, but this seems to be the assumption behind the campaign. Everyone knows cigarettes are deadly; do we really need the constant reminder? Instead of passing judgment, let’s create initiatives that encourage a cleaner campus. How about a litter free campus? Adding more trash cans, ashtrays and recycling bins is a good start. Instead of writing tickets for smoking, write them for littering. At some point, the anti-smoking lobby needs to accept the fact that banning smoking will not end the practice, and we must learn to accommodate rather than discriminate.
Joe Paone can be reached at jpaone@umich.edu.
